"Astroturf" meaning in English

See Astroturf in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Forms: more Astroturf [comparative], most Astroturf [superlative]
Etymology: See AstroTurf and astroturfing. Etymology templates: {{m|en|AstroTurf}} AstroTurf, {{m|en|astroturfing}} astroturfing Head templates: {{en-adj}} Astroturf (comparative more Astroturf, superlative most Astroturf)
  1. Of a group created by a larger organisation (especially a corporation or political party), but presenting itself as a grassroots organisation.
    Sense id: en-Astroturf-en-adj-pPBviuMZ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 32 37 23 1 7

Noun

Forms: Astroturfs [plural]
Etymology: See AstroTurf and astroturfing. Etymology templates: {{m|en|AstroTurf}} AstroTurf, {{m|en|astroturfing}} astroturfing Head templates: {{en-noun}} Astroturf (plural Astroturfs)
  1. Alternative spelling of AstroTurf Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: AstroTurf Synonyms: astroturf Related terms: claque
    Sense id: en-Astroturf-en-noun-ymKBaNdZ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English genericized trademarks Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 32 37 23 1 7 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 23 47 25 1 5 Disambiguation of English genericized trademarks: 17 59 18 2 4
  2. (US, politics) A campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support. Tags: US Categories (topical): Politics
    Sense id: en-Astroturf-en-noun-et1gz4IK Categories (other): American English, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 32 37 23 1 7 Topics: government, politics

Verb

Forms: Astroturfs [present, singular, third-person], Astroturfing [participle, present], Astroturfed [participle, past], Astroturfed [past]
Etymology: See AstroTurf and astroturfing. Etymology templates: {{m|en|AstroTurf}} AstroTurf, {{m|en|astroturfing}} astroturfing Head templates: {{en-verb}} Astroturf (third-person singular simple present Astroturfs, present participle Astroturfing, simple past and past participle Astroturfed)
  1. To cover with an artificial grass-like material.
    Sense id: en-Astroturf-en-verb-qLlONTeq
  2. (politics, usually lowercase) To fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda. Tags: lowercase, usually Categories (topical): Politics Derived forms: astroturfer, astroturfing
    Sense id: en-Astroturf-en-verb-44uQuKpr Topics: government, politics

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for Astroturf meaning in English (8.0kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "AstroTurf"
      },
      "expansion": "AstroTurf",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "astroturfing"
      },
      "expansion": "astroturfing",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See AstroTurf and astroturfing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Astroturfs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Astroturfing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Astroturfed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Astroturfed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Astroturf (third-person singular simple present Astroturfs, present participle Astroturfing, simple past and past participle Astroturfed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002, Wendy Perriam, Tread Softly, page 17",
          "text": "But what was there left to Astroturf? The sitting-room? Hugh's bald patch?",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Dick Wolfsie, Indiana Curiosities, 2nd, page 41",
          "text": "Is it just me, or is it hard to find anyone nowadays to Astroturf your car?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cover with an artificial grass-like material."
      ],
      "id": "en-Astroturf-en-verb-qLlONTeq",
      "links": [
        [
          "artificial",
          "artificial"
        ],
        [
          "material",
          "material"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Politics",
          "orig": "en:Politics",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "astroturfer"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "astroturfing"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2009 December 1, James Hoggan, Richard Littlemore, Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, Greystone Books Ltd, page 197",
          "text": "We have been Astroturfed by some of the biggest players in the business. As you will read in the coming pages, a reasonable-sounding group called Americans for Balanced Energy Choices spent us$40 million during the last presidential[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011 April 15, Andrew Breitbart, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World, Grand Central Publishing",
          "text": "Even Maher reacted; his Achilles' heel is that even though he's a leftie, he exhibits clear contempt for the astroturfed audience he relies upon for his laughs. The awkwardness continued for a full, commercial-free half hour,[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 August 10, Kurt Andersen, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History, Random House Trade Paperbacks, page 282",
          "text": "The opposition party in Washington and its Astroturfed Tea Partiers around the country could focus strictly on assigning blame for the disaster . At the direction of the field marshals of the rich right in Washington , the Tea Party was[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda."
      ],
      "id": "en-Astroturf-en-verb-44uQuKpr",
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(politics, usually lowercase) To fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "lowercase",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "politics"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Astroturf"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "AstroTurf"
      },
      "expansion": "AstroTurf",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "astroturfing"
      },
      "expansion": "astroturfing",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See AstroTurf and astroturfing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more Astroturf",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most Astroturf",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Astroturf (comparative more Astroturf, superlative most Astroturf)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "32 37 23 1 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2005 04, Richard Larsen, You, Sir, Are an Idiot: Newspaper Columns, iUniverse, page 125",
          "text": "Can we assure readers that astroturf letters will not appear as letters in The Star? Unfortunately, no. At least a dozen Web sites from which astroturf can be generated have been identified. Many more exist.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011 August 18, John S. Dryzek, Richard B. Norgaard, David Schlosberg, The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society, OUP Oxford, page 154",
          "text": "The defining feature of astroturf groups is that they are generated by an industry, think tank, or front group, but disguised to appear as a spontaneous, popular 'grassroots' effort. They are created to lobby or campaign on behalf of[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 October 29, Hyunyi Cho, Torsten Reimer, Katherine A. McComas, The SAGE Handbook of Risk Communication, SAGE Publications",
          "text": "These astroturf organizations allow corporations to engage in public debates and government hearings under the guise of concerned citizens. A key purpose of astroturf activities is to defuse the efforts of social movement organizations[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of a group created by a larger organisation (especially a corporation or political party), but presenting itself as a grassroots organisation."
      ],
      "id": "en-Astroturf-en-adj-pPBviuMZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "grassroots",
          "grassroots"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Astroturf"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "AstroTurf"
      },
      "expansion": "AstroTurf",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "astroturfing"
      },
      "expansion": "astroturfing",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See AstroTurf and astroturfing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Astroturfs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Astroturf (plural Astroturfs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "AstroTurf"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "32 37 23 1 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 47 25 1 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 59 18 2 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English genericized trademarks",
          "parents": [
            "Genericized trademarks",
            "Terms by etymology",
            "Trademarks",
            "Terms by usage"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of AstroTurf"
      ],
      "id": "en-Astroturf-en-noun-ymKBaNdZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "AstroTurf",
          "AstroTurf#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "word": "claque"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 2 3 92 3",
          "word": "astroturf"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Politics",
          "orig": "en:Politics",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 37 23 1 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010 October 25, George Monbiot, “The Tea Party movement: deluded and inspired by billionaires”, in The Guardian, retrieved 2021-09-26",
          "text": "An Astroturf campaign is a fake grassroots movement: it purports to be a spontaneous uprising of concerned citizens, but in reality it is founded and funded by elite interests. Some Astroturf campaigns have no grassroots component at all. Others catalyse and direct real mobilisations.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support."
      ],
      "id": "en-Astroturf-en-noun-et1gz4IK",
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ],
        [
          "grassroots",
          "grassroots"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, politics) A campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "politics"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Astroturf"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English genericized trademarks",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "astroturfer"
    },
    {
      "word": "astroturfing"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "AstroTurf"
      },
      "expansion": "AstroTurf",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "astroturfing"
      },
      "expansion": "astroturfing",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See AstroTurf and astroturfing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Astroturfs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Astroturfing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Astroturfed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Astroturfed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Astroturf (third-person singular simple present Astroturfs, present participle Astroturfing, simple past and past participle Astroturfed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002, Wendy Perriam, Tread Softly, page 17",
          "text": "But what was there left to Astroturf? The sitting-room? Hugh's bald patch?",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Dick Wolfsie, Indiana Curiosities, 2nd, page 41",
          "text": "Is it just me, or is it hard to find anyone nowadays to Astroturf your car?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cover with an artificial grass-like material."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "artificial",
          "artificial"
        ],
        [
          "material",
          "material"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Politics"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2009 December 1, James Hoggan, Richard Littlemore, Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, Greystone Books Ltd, page 197",
          "text": "We have been Astroturfed by some of the biggest players in the business. As you will read in the coming pages, a reasonable-sounding group called Americans for Balanced Energy Choices spent us$40 million during the last presidential[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011 April 15, Andrew Breitbart, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World, Grand Central Publishing",
          "text": "Even Maher reacted; his Achilles' heel is that even though he's a leftie, he exhibits clear contempt for the astroturfed audience he relies upon for his laughs. The awkwardness continued for a full, commercial-free half hour,[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 August 10, Kurt Andersen, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History, Random House Trade Paperbacks, page 282",
          "text": "The opposition party in Washington and its Astroturfed Tea Partiers around the country could focus strictly on assigning blame for the disaster . At the direction of the field marshals of the rich right in Washington , the Tea Party was[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(politics, usually lowercase) To fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "lowercase",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "politics"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "astroturf"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Astroturf"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English genericized trademarks",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "AstroTurf"
      },
      "expansion": "AstroTurf",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "astroturfing"
      },
      "expansion": "astroturfing",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See AstroTurf and astroturfing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more Astroturf",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most Astroturf",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Astroturf (comparative more Astroturf, superlative most Astroturf)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2005 04, Richard Larsen, You, Sir, Are an Idiot: Newspaper Columns, iUniverse, page 125",
          "text": "Can we assure readers that astroturf letters will not appear as letters in The Star? Unfortunately, no. At least a dozen Web sites from which astroturf can be generated have been identified. Many more exist.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011 August 18, John S. Dryzek, Richard B. Norgaard, David Schlosberg, The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society, OUP Oxford, page 154",
          "text": "The defining feature of astroturf groups is that they are generated by an industry, think tank, or front group, but disguised to appear as a spontaneous, popular 'grassroots' effort. They are created to lobby or campaign on behalf of[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 October 29, Hyunyi Cho, Torsten Reimer, Katherine A. McComas, The SAGE Handbook of Risk Communication, SAGE Publications",
          "text": "These astroturf organizations allow corporations to engage in public debates and government hearings under the guise of concerned citizens. A key purpose of astroturf activities is to defuse the efforts of social movement organizations[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of a group created by a larger organisation (especially a corporation or political party), but presenting itself as a grassroots organisation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "grassroots",
          "grassroots"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "astroturf"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Astroturf"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English genericized trademarks",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "AstroTurf"
      },
      "expansion": "AstroTurf",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "astroturfing"
      },
      "expansion": "astroturfing",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See AstroTurf and astroturfing.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Astroturfs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Astroturf (plural Astroturfs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "claque"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "AstroTurf"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of AstroTurf"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "AstroTurf",
          "AstroTurf#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Politics"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010 October 25, George Monbiot, “The Tea Party movement: deluded and inspired by billionaires”, in The Guardian, retrieved 2021-09-26",
          "text": "An Astroturf campaign is a fake grassroots movement: it purports to be a spontaneous uprising of concerned citizens, but in reality it is founded and funded by elite interests. Some Astroturf campaigns have no grassroots component at all. Others catalyse and direct real mobilisations.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ],
        [
          "grassroots",
          "grassroots"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, politics) A campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "politics"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "astroturf"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Astroturf"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (4d5d0bb and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.